


Hunt

by redheadthunderhead



Series: Tamlen/Mahariel Oneshots [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Hunting, all i want for christmas is for these two to be happy, pre-relationship?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 03:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5524046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redheadthunderhead/pseuds/redheadthunderhead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tamlen and Mahariel get into trouble. Again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> I am determined to fix what Bioware did to us.

The forest was quiet; the air still and cool as the sun began to come over the horizon and peek through the trees. The events of today were crucial for the young hunter apprentices of the Sabrae clan. They had chosen today to set out together and complete their apprenticeships. Their task was to each bring back the pelt of an animal they killed, and upon doing so they would officially become hunters. While the others split up to complete their hunt alone, two stayed together despite the strict rules explained to them.

“Tamlen, I don’t know if this is a good idea,” Mahariel said wearily, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She watched her friend carefully, gaze shifting between him and the bear he had his eyes on. “It doesn’t have to be a bear! We can find a pack of wolves and both pass our apprenticeship together.”

“Imagine the look on everyone’s faces when we come back with a bear!” Tamlen’s face had the same expression it always did when he was getting into trouble. It was no wonder the Keeper always got after him first. Mahariel was guilty of not being able to hide her guilt as well, but for as long as they had been friends Tamlen was always the one to get caught first. 

“When you come back with a bear, you mean,” she corrected. “I have to kill something too, and there is no way I’m letting you have all the glory!” Any concern on Mahariel face melted into a challenging smirk. 

“We could find another bear?” Tamlen suggested.

“Well then get to looking, lethallin, I saw this one first,” Mahariel taunted, drawing her bow and taking aim at the bear that had miraculously not noticed them yet even with the childlike arguing.

“Your stance is terrible,” Tamlen shot back, closing the distance between them yet again in order to remedy that. His touch was innocent enough as he fixed her positioning, looking over her shoulder to check her aim, but Mahariel momentarily forgot how to breathe. She closed her eyes and exhaled when Tamlen finally stepped back, regaining her composure before cracking open one eye and confirming that her aim was correct. 

Before she could let the arrow fly, though, Tamlen nudged her hard with his elbow and caused a surprised shriek from Mahariel. He drew his own bow before she could regain her balance and let an arrow fly before she corrected her stance. The pair watched it fly and graze the back of the sleeping bear. The animal let out a roar and was up on its feet and barreling toward them faster than either of the elves expected. 

“Your aim is terrible,” Mahariel mocked, pushing Tamlen out of the way and urging him to run. He was always the faster of the two and Mahariel quickly fell behind. Rather than panicking like anyone else in her situation would do, she burst into a fit of giggles as she darted between the trees after Tamlen. “Merrill is going to love this!”

The two continued through the forest, trying to shake the angry bear that was determined to turn them into a meal. Adrenaline kept Mahariel moving even as she fell further behind, lungs burning and her stride becoming less smooth as she began tripping on roots that grew out of the ground. She swore she could feel the bear’s breath now, and if she slipped up now it would be her end. Her eyes darted around, looking for something, anything that could help her. She settled on a tree a few feet in front of her that had obvious footholds that she could use to pull herself up into the branches. “Tamlen! I’m climbing a tree on your right, get ready to shoot!” 

“What?”

“Just get ready!” She focused on running, on making sure that she stepped over anything that may trip her, and on the tree that was getting closer and closer. 

Three, two, one.

“Now!”

As Mahariel hauled herself up out of the reach of the bear, which thankfully continued to focus on her and give Tamlen the time he needed to prepare a shot, the other elf whipped around and sent an arrow flying. It hit its mark this time, killing the bear and letting Mahariel breath a sigh of relief. She half-climbed, half-fell out of the tree as she tried to catch her breath through another fit of laughter. “We just fought over a bear!” 

“I think you deserve that one, lethallan.” 

“Oh, now that I’ve almost died you feel bad?” She crouched down and carefully removed the arrow and handed it up to Tamlen before examining the scratches in her hand that she earned while scrambling up the tree. “You were definitely going to leave me if I fell,” she accused a bit too dramatically. 

“I would have felt bad about it afterwards,” he assured. 

“Good to know,” she laughed. “What happened to our childhood promise? What was it, “never leave each other behind,” or something along those lines?” 

“You know that I would never break that promise, lethallan.” 

Mahariel looked up from her hands with a smile on her face. “I know,” she confirmed. Her gaze lingered for a moment before she cleared her throat and returned her attention to the bear. “So, you’re going to let me have this one? You should probably go look for your own, then. In case the others come by and see us together.”

“You’re probably right.” 

“Tamlen? Be careful. Please.”

“I always am.”


End file.
